Type-Specific Human Papillomavirus Prevalence, Incident Cases, Persistence, and Associated Pregnancy Outcomes Among HIV-Infected Women in Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Persistent infection with high-risk types of human papillomavirus (HPV) is the preeminent factor driving the development of cervical cancer. There are large gaps in knowledge about both the role of pregnancy in the natural history of HPV infection and the impact of HPV on pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: This single-site prospective cohort substudy, nested within an international multisite randomized controlled trial, assessed prevalence, incident cases, and persistence of type-specific HPV infection, and the association between persistence of high-risk HPV infection with pregnancy outcomes among HIV-infected pregnant women in Kenya, including HIV transmission to infants. Type-specific HPV was assessed using a line probe assay in pregnancy and again at 3 months after delivery. HIV status of children was determined using polymerase chain reaction at 6 weeks. RESULTS: In total, 84.1% (206/245) of women had a high-risk HPV infection at enrollment. Three quarters (157/206) of these infections persisted postpartum. Persistence of HPV16 and/or HPV18 types was observed in more than half (53.4%; 39/73) of women with this infection at enrollment. Almost two-thirds had an incident high-risk HPV infection postpartum, which was not present in pregnancy (62.5%), most commonly HPV52 (19.0%). After adjustments, no association was detected between persistent high-risk HPV and preterm birth. All mothers of the 7 cases of infant HIV infection had persistent high-risk HPV infection (P = 0.044). CONCLUSIONS: High levels of high-risk HPV infection and type-specific persistence were documented, heightening the urgency of mass role out of HPV vaccination. The association between HPV persistence and HIV transmission is a novel finding, warranting further study.

Male involvement in reproductive, maternal and child health: a qualitative study of policymaker and practitioner perspectives in the Pacific.

BACKGROUND: The importance of involving men in reproductive, maternal and child health programs is increasingly recognised globally. In the Pacific region, most maternal and child health services do not actively engage expectant fathers and fathers of young children and few studies have been conducted on the challenges, benefits and opportunities for involving fathers. This study explores the attitudes and beliefs of maternal and child health policymakers and practitioners regarding the benefits, challenges, risks and approaches to increasing men's involvement in maternal and child health education and clinical services in the Pacific. METHODS: In-depth interviews were conducted with 17 senior maternal and child health policymakers and practitioners, including participants from five countries (Cook Island, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Island, and Vanuatu) and four regional organisations in the Pacific. Qualitative data generated were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Policymakers and practitioners reported that greater men's involvement would result in a range of benefits for maternal and child health, primarily through greater access to services and interventions for women and children. Perceived challenges to greater father involvement included sociocultural norms, difficulty engaging couples before first pregnancy, the physical layout of clinics, and health worker workloads and attitudes. Participants also suggested a range of strategies for increasing men's involvement, including engaging boys and men early in the life-cycle, in community and clinic settings, and making health services more father-friendly through changes to clinic spaces and health worker recruitment and training. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that increasing men's involvement in maternal and child health services in the Pacific will require initiatives to engage men in community and clinic settings, engage boys and men of all ages, and improve health infrastructure and service delivery to include men. Our findings also suggest that while most maternal and child health officials consulted perceived many benefits of engaging fathers, perceived challenges to doing so may prevent the development of policies that explicitly direct health providers to routinely include fathers in maternal and child health services. Pilot studies assessing feasibility and acceptability of context-appropriate strategies for engaging fathers will be useful in addressing concerns regarding challenges to engaging fathers.

Antiretroviral therapy drug adherence in Rwanda: perspectives from patients and healthcare workers using a mixed-methods approach.

Rwanda has achieved high enrollment into antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs but data on adherence after enrollment are not routinely collected. We used a mixed-methods approach (standardized questionnaires, pill counts, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews) to determine levels of and barriers to ART adherence from the perspective of both patients and healthcare workers (HCW). Data were available from 213 patients throughout the first year on ART; 58 of them and 23 HCW participated in a qualitative sub-study. Self-reported adherence was high (96% of patients reporting more than 95% adherence), but adherence by pill count was significantly lower, especially in the first 3 months. In the standardized interviews, patients mostly reported that they "simply forgot" or "were away from home" as reasons for nonadherence. The qualitative research identified three interrelated constructs that appeared to negatively influence adherence: stigma, difficulty coming to terms with illness, and concealment of illness. Both standardized questionnaires and the qualitative research identified poverty, disruption to daily routines, factors related to regimen complexity and side effects, and service-related factors as barriers to adherence. We conclude that regular triangulation of different sources of adherence data is desirable to arrive at more realistic estimates. We propose that program monitoring and evaluation cycles incorporate more in-depth research to better understand concerns underlying reasons for nonadherence reported in routine monitoring.

Prevalence and concordance of HPV, HIV, and HSV-2 in heterosexual couples in Kigali, Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: In the absence of prospectively collected transmission data, the transmission potential of a sexually transmissible infection (STI) can be estimated by its proxy of concordance in sexual partners. Here we report concordance data of 3 viral STIs: human papillomavirus (HPV), HIV, and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) among heterosexual couples in Kigali, Rwanda. METHODS: Cervical and penile HPV typing was performed among 166 community-sampled fertile couples in Kigali, Rwanda (median sampling interval 10 days (interquartile range: 5-36). HIV and HSV-2 serostatus, curable STIs, and sociobehavioral and clinical characteristics were also assessed. RESULTS: Concordance rates for all 3 viral STIs were higher than expected by chance alone. Positive concordance among couples was 25% for HSV-2, 15.7% for any HPV, 8.4% for high-risk (HR)-HPV, and 6% for HIV. HR-HPV prevalence among women and men was 19.9% and 26.5%, respectively. Partner's HIV status was more strongly associated with HR-HPV detection in men (OR: 8.5; confidence interval: 2.9-24.6) than in women (OR: 1.9; confidence interval 0.5-6.7). CONCLUSION: More than half of the couples were discordant for HIV, HPV, and/or HSV-2, indicating that prevention strategies directed to infected cases are important to protect their uninfected sexual partners.

Promoting adolescent health through integrated human papillomavirus vaccination programs: The experience of Togo.

The introduction of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has shown potential to not only prevent cervical cancer but also drive adolescents' access to other health care services, even in low-income countries. Few studies have been conducted to date to identify best practices and estimate the acceptance, operational challenges and benefits of including broader adolescent health interventions into immunization efforts, knowledge which is essential to supporting widespread integration. In this paper we review the efforts undertaken by the government of Togo to integrate adolescent health programming with the HPV vaccination roll out. With the support of partners (GAVI, WHO, UNFPA and UNICEF), the country successfully completed, in 2017, two years of an HPV vaccine demonstration project, which entailed vaccinating 10-year-old girls against HPV in two selected districts of the country and integrating a health education component focused on puberty education / menstrual hygiene and hand washing practice. Our study is a post-implementation program evaluation, using mixed methods to assess key questions of feasibility and acceptability of an integrated adolescent package of care. It showed that the HPV vaccination in conjunction with the health education sessions was well received by the majority of health care providers, teachers and parents. Our study confirmed that in Togo it proved feasible to combine education and HPV vaccination in school-based service delivery. However, more operational research is neded to understand how to increase the impact and sustainability of the co-delivery of interventions. We did not analyze the health impact and cost implications of the intervention, which will be an important consideration for scaling up such integration efforts alongside routine immunization.

HIV infection and sexual behaviour in primary and secondary infertile relationships: a case--control study in Kigali, Rwanda.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (including HIV) and of high-risk sexual behaviour in the following three groups: primary infertile relationships, secondary infertile relationships and fertile relationships. Primary infertility is here defined as never having conceived before, secondary infertility as infertility subsequent to having conceived at least once. DESIGN: Unmatched case--control study. METHODS: Sexually active infertile women aged 21-45 years presenting at an infertility clinic of the Kigali Teaching Hospital, Rwanda and their male partners were invited to participate. Fertile controls who had recently delivered were recruited from the community. In a face-to-face interview, participants were asked about sociodemographic characteristics and their sexual behaviours, and tested for HIV and STIs. RESULTS: Between November 2007 and May 2009, 312 women and 254 partners in infertile relationships and 312 women and 189 partners in fertile relationships were enrolled. Involvement in a secondary infertile relationship was associated with HIV infection after adjusting for sociodemographic covariates for women (adjusted OR (AOR) = 4.03, 95% CI 2.4 to 6.7) and for men (AOR = 3.3, 95% CI 1.8 to 6.4). Involvement in a primary infertile relationship, however, was not. Secondary infertile women were more likely to have engaged in risky sexual behaviour during their lifetime compared with primary infertile and fertile women. Men in primary and secondary infertile relationships more often reported multiple partners in the past year (AOR = 5.4, 95% CI 2.2 to 12.7; AOR = 7.1, 95% CI 3.2 to 15.8, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Increased HIV prevalence and risky sexual behaviour among infertile couples is driven by secondary infertility. Infertile couples, and especially those with secondary infertility, should be targeted for HIV prevention programmes and their fertility problems should be addressed.

High human immunodeficiency virus incidence in a cohort of Rwandan female sex workers.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) incidence among female sex workers in Rwanda is a key part of preparing for HIV prevention trials. METHODS: HIV-negative, nonpregnant female sex workers (N =397) were tested for HIV-1, sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy quarterly for 12 months, and again at a 1-time year 2 visit. Additional women (N=156) were tested for HIV at baseline and 6 to 12 months thereafter in a parallel study. RESULTS: A total of 19 participants seroconverted during follow-up,with 13 in the first 12 months. The 12-month HIV incidence rate (IR)was 3.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.6, 5.4) per 100 person-years (PY).There was a nonsignificant downward trend from 4.6/100 PY (1.6, 7.7)in the first 6 months to 2.2 (0.1, 4.4) in the second 6 months (IR ratio:2.1 [95% confidence interval: 0.7, 7.8]). The year 2 IR was 2.1 (0.4,3.7), and the HIV IR in the parallel study (in the absence of frequent study visits) was 3.3/100 PY (0, 7.0). HIV testing history, lifetime pregnancies, recent initiation of sex work, gonorrhea, syphilis, and change in reproductive intentions were associated with incident HIV infection. Incidence of pregnancy, herpes simplex virus-type 2,trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis per 100 PY were as follows: 26.3 (21.9, 30.7), 8.7 (4.0, 13.4), 16.9 (12.7, 21.1), 12.1 (8.2,15.9), 8.1 (5.1, 11.2), and 6.2 (3.7, 8.7). CONCLUSIONS: The HIV/sexually transmitted infections burden int his group was high. HIV IR was highest in the first 6 months of the cohort, and in the parallel study in which there were no risk-reduction procedures. HIV prevention and family planning interventions are needed.

The epidemiology of human papillomavirus infection in HIV-positive and HIV-negative high-risk women in Kigali, Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence, incidence and persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) types in sub-Saharan Africa are not well established. The objectives of the current study are to describe (predictors of) the epidemiology of HPV among high-risk women in Kigali, Rwanda. METHODS: HIV-negative, high-risk women were seen quarterly for one year, and once in Year 2. HIV serostatus, clinical, and behavioral information were assessed at each visit, HPV types at Month 6 and Year 2, and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) at selected visits. HPV prevalence was also assessed in HIV-positive, high-risk women. RESULTS: Prevalence of any HPV was 47.0% in HIV-negative women (median age 25 years) compared to 72.2% in HIV-positive women (median age 27 years; OR 2.9, 95% CI 1.9-4.6). Among HIV-negative women, cumulative incidence of high-risk (HR)-HPV was 28.0% and persistence 32.0% after a mean period of 16.6 and 16.9 months, respectively. Prior Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection, concurrent low-risk (LR)-HPV infection and incident HSV-2 were associated with HR-HPV prevalence among HIV-negative women; prior C. trachomatis infection and co-infection with LR-HPV and HPV16-related HPV types with HR-HPV acquisition. HPV16-related types were the most prevalent and persistent. CONCLUSIONS: High HPV prevalence, incidence and persistence were found among high-risk women in Kigali. HPV52 had the highest incidence; and, together with HPV33 and HPV58, were strongly associated with acquisition of other HR-HPV types in HIV-negative women.

The risk factor profile of women with secondary infertility: an unmatched case-control study in Kigali, Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: Secondary infertility is a common, preventable but neglected reproductive health problem in resource-poor countries. This study examines the association of past sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV, bacterial vaginosis (BV) and factors in the obstetric history with secondary infertility and their relative contributions to secondary infertility. METHODS: Between November 2007 and May 2009 a research infertility clinic was set up at the Kigali University Teaching Hospital in Rwanda. Cases were defined as sexually-active women aged 21-45 years presenting with secondary infertility (n = 177), and controls as multiparous women in the same age groups who recently delivered (n = 219). Participants were interviewed about socio-demographic characteristics and obstetric history using structured questionnaires, and were tested for HIV and reproductive tract infections (RTIs). RESULTS: Risk factors in the obstetric history for secondary infertility were lack of prenatal care in the last pregnancy, the first pregnancy before the age of 21 years, a history of unwanted pregnancy, a pregnancy with other than current partner, an adverse pregnancy outcome, stillbirth, postpartum infection and curettage. Presence of HIV, herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), or Treponema pallidum antibodies, and bacterial vaginosis (BV), were significantly more common in women in secondary infertile relationships than those in fertile relationships. The population attributable fractions (PAF%) for obstetric events, HIV, other (STIs), and BV were 25%, 30%, 27%, and 14% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The main finding of this study is that obstetric events, HIV and other STIs contribute approximately equally to secondary infertility in Rwanda. Scaling up of HIV/STI prevention, increased access to family planning services, improvement of prenatal and obstetric care and reduction of stillbirth and infant mortality rates are all likely to decrease secondary infertility in sub-Saharan Africa.

Malaria has no effect on birth weight in Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: Malaria has a negative effect on pregnancy outcome, causing low birth weight, premature birth and stillbirths, particularly in areas with high malaria transmission. In Rwanda, malaria transmission intensity ranges from high to nil, probably associated with variable altitudes. Overall, the incidence decreased over the last six years (2002-2007). Therefore, the impact of malaria on birth outcomes is also expected to vary over time and space. METHODS: Obstetric indicators (birth weight and pregnancy outcome) and malaria incidence were compared and analyzed to their association over time (2002-2007) and space. Birth data from 12,526 deliveries were collected from maternity registers of 11 different primary health centers located in different malaria endemic areas. Malaria data for the same communities were collected from the National Malaria Control Programme. Associations were sought with mixed effects models and logistic regression. RESULTS: In all health centres, a significant increase of birth weight over the years was observed (p < 0.001) with a significant seasonal fluctuation. Malaria incidence had no significant effect on birth weight. There was a slight but significant decreasing effect of malaria incidence on the occurrence of premature delivery (p-value 0.045) and still birth (p-value 0.009). Altitude showed a slight but significant negative correlation with birth weight. Overall, a decrease over the years of premature delivery (p = 0.010) and still birth (p = 0.036) was observed. CONCLUSION: In Rwanda, birth weight and pregnancy outcome are not directly influenced by malaria, which is in contrast to many other studied areas. Although malaria incidence overall has declined and mean birth weight increased over the studied period, no direct association was found between the two. Socio-economic factors and improved nutrition could be responsible for birth weight changes in recent years.

Combination Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV in Rwandan Adults: Clinical Outcomes and Impact on Reproductive Health up to 24 Months.

Adult women (n = 113) and men (n = 100) initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and women not yet eligible for cART (n = 199) in Kigali, Rwanda, were followed for 6-24 months between 2007 and 2010. In the cART groups, 21% of patients required a drug change due to side effects and 11% of patients had virological failure (defined as >1,000 HIV RNA copies/mL) after 12 months of cART. About a third of the pregnancies since HIV diagnosis were unintended. The proportion of women in the pre-cART group using modern contraception other than condoms (50%) was similar to women in the general population, but this proportion was only 25% in women initiating cART. Of the women who carried at least one pregnancy to term since having been diagnosed HIV-positive, a third reported to have participated in a prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT, option A) intervention. Many patients were coinfected with herpes simplex virus type 2 (79-92%), human papillomavirus (38-53%), and bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with no differences between groups. We applaud the Rwandan government for having strengthened family planning and PMTCT services and for having introduced HPV vaccination in recent years, but additional work is needed to strengthen STI and HPV-related cancer screening and management in the HIV-positive population.

"Let's talk about sex": a qualitative study of Rwandan adolescents' views on sex and HIV.

OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study explored the views and experiences of adolescents with perinatally acquired HIV in Kigali, Rwanda, regarding sex, love, marriage, children and hope for the future. DESIGN: The study enrolled 42 adolescents who had received combination antiretroviral therapy for at least 12 months, and a selection of their primary caregivers. Study methods included 3 multiple day workshops consisting of role-playing and focus group discussions (FGDs) with adolescents, 8 in-depth interviews with adolescents, and one FGD with caregivers. RESULTS: The adolescents reported experiencing similar sexual needs and dilemmas as most other adolescents, but with an added layer of complexity due to fears related to HIV transmission and/or rejection by partners. They desired more advice from their parents/caregivers on these topics. Although they struggled with aspects of sex, love, marriage and having children, most agreed that they would find love, be married and have children in the future. The two most discussed HIV-related anxieties were how and when to disclose to a (potential) sex/marriage partner and whether to have children. However, most adolescents felt that they had a right to love and be loved, and were aware of prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT) options in Rwanda. Adolescents generally spoke about their future role in society in a positive manner. CONCLUSION: Strengthening the life skills of HIV-positive adolescents, especially around HIV disclosure and reduction of HIV transmission, as well as the support skills of parents/caregivers, may not only reduce onward HIV transmission but also improve quality of life by reducing anxiety.

Causes of puerperal and neonatal sepsis in resource-constrained settings and advocacy for an integrated community-based postnatal approach.

BACKGROUND: Puerperal sepsis and neonatal sepsis are important causes of mortality and morbidity in low-income countries. OBJECTIVES: To help improve global guidelines on postpartum care by reviewing existing data on microbiologic causes of sepsis among mothers, newborns, and mother-newborn pairs. SEARCH STRATEGY: An extensive literature review of peer-reviewed publications from resource-constrained settings was conducted using PubMed. SELECTION CRITERIA: Primary research studies containing microbiologic data on puerperal sepsis or combined maternal and neonatal sepsis published since 1980. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Study characteristics and results were analyzed. Data regarding causative microorganisms were tabulated and discussed in the main text. MAIN RESULTS: Diagnostic evaluation of microorganisms causing puerperal sepsis was difficult, with few studies linking microorganisms causing infection in individual mother-newborn pairs. The most frequent microorganisms associated with puerperal sepsis were Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. The most frequent microorganisms associated with neonatal sepsis were Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Klebsiella species. CONCLUSIONS: Management tools for community-based care of mothers with puerperal sepsis-including early detection, initiation of broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment, and timely referral-should be added to those currently in use for neonatal sepsis. Further research is required to address acceptability, feasibility, and impact of community-based presumptive treatment.

HIV-1 autologous antibody neutralization associates with mother to child transmission.

The HIV-1 characteristics associated with mother to child transmission (MTCT) are still poorly understood and if known would indicate where intervention strategies should be targeted. In contrast to horizontally infected individuals, exposed infants possess inherited antibodies (Abs) from their mother with the potential to protect against infection. We investigated the HIV-1 gp160 envelope proteins from seven transmitting mothers (TM) whose children were infected either during gestation or soon after delivery and from four non-transmitting mothers (NTM) with similar viral loads and CD4 counts. Using pseudo-typed viruses we tested gp160 envelope glycoproteins for TZM-bl infectivity, CD4 and CCR5 interactions, DC-SIGN capture and transfer and neutralization with an array of common neutralizing Abs (NAbs) (2F5, 2G12, 4E10 and b12) as well as mother and infant plasma. We found no viral correlates associated with HIV-1 MTCT nor did we find differences in neutralization with the panel of NAbs. We did, however, find that TM possessed significantly higher plasma neutralization capacities than NTM (P = 0.002). Furthermore, we found that in utero (IU) TM had a higher neutralization capacity than mothers transmitting either peri - partum (PP) or via breastfeeding (BF) (P = 0.002). Plasma from children infected IU neutralized viruses carrying autologous gp160 viral envelopes as well as those from their corresponding mothers whilst plasma from children infected PP and/or BF demonstrated poor neutralizing capacity. Our results demonstrate heightened autologous NAb responses against gp120/gp41 can associate with a greater risk of HIV-1 MTCT and more specifically in those infants infected IU. Although the number of HIV-1 transmitting pairs is low our results indicate that autologous NAb responses in mothers and infants do not protect against MTCT and may in fact be detrimental when considering IU HIV-1 transmissions.

Living situation affects adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected adolescents in Rwanda: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is vital for HIV-infected adolescents for survival and quality of life. However, this age group faces many challenges to remain adherent. We used multiple data sources (role-play, focus group discussions (FGD), and in-depth interviews (IDI)) to better understand adherence barriers for Rwandan adolescents. Forty-two HIV positive adolescents (ages 12-21) and a selection of their primary caregivers were interviewed. All were perinatally-infected and received (cART) for ≥ 12 months. Topics discussed during FGDs and IDIs included learning HIV status, disclosure and stigma, care and treatment issues, cART adherence barriers. RESULTS: Median age was 17 years, 45% female, 45% orphaned, and 48% in boarding schools. We identified three overarching but inter-related themes that appeared to influence adherence. Stigma, perceived and experienced, and inadvertent disclosure of HIV status hampered adolescents from obtaining and taking their drugs, attending clinic visits, carrying their cARTs with them in public. The second major theme was the need for better support, in particular for adolescents with different living situations, (orphanages, foster-care, and boarding schools). Lack of privacy to keep and take medication came out as major barrier for adolescents living in congested households, as well the institutionalization of boarding schools where privacy is almost non-existent. The third important theme was the desire to be 'normal' and not be recognized as an HIV-infected individual, and to have a normal life not perturbed by taking a regimen of medications or being forced to disclose where others would treat them differently. CONCLUSIONS: We propose better management of HIV-infected adolescents integrated into boarding school, orphanages, and foster care; training of school-faculty on how to support students and allow them privacy for taking their medications. To provide better care and support, HIV programs should stimulate caregivers of HIV-infected adolescents to join them for their clinic visits.

Risk Factor Detection as a Metric of STARHS Performance for HIV Incidence Surveillance Among Female Sex Workers in Kigali, Rwanda.

BACKGROUND: The epidemiologic utility of STARHS hinges not only on producing accurate estimates of HIV incidence, but also on identifying risk factors for recent HIV infection. METHODS: As part of an HIV seroincidence study, 800 Rwandan female sex workers (FSW) were HIV tested, with those testing positive further tested by BED-CEIA (BED) and AxSYM Avidity Index (Ax-AI) assays. A sample of HIV-negative (N=397) FSW were followed prospectively for HIV seroconversion. We compared estimates of risk factors for: 1) prevalent HIV infection; 2) recently acquired HIV infection (RI) based on three different STARHS classifications (BED alone, Ax-AI alone, BED/Ax-AI combined); and 3) prospectively observed seroconversion. RESULTS: There was mixed agreement in risk factors between methods. HSV-2 coinfection and recent STI treatment were associated with both prevalent HIV infection and all three measures of recent infection. A number of risk factors were associated only with prevalent infection, including widowhood, history of forced sex, regular alcohol consumption, prior imprisonment, and current breastfeeding. Number of sex partners in the last 3 months was associated with recent infection based on BED/Ax-AI combined, but not other STARHS-based recent infection outcomes or prevalent infection. Risk factor estimates for prospectively observed seroconversion differed in magnitude and direction from those for recent infection via STARHS. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in risk factor estimates by each method could reflect true differences in risk factors between the prevalent, recently, or newly infected populations, the effect of study interventions (among those followed prospectively), or assay misclassification. Similar investigations in other populations/settings are needed to further establish the epidemiologic utility of STARHS for identifying risk factors, in addition to incidence rate estimation.

HIV type 1 mother-to-child transmission facilitated by distinctive glycosylation sites in the gp120 envelope glycoprotein.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) characteristics associated with mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) are still poorly understood. We studied a cohort of 30 mothers from Rwanda infected with HIV-1 subtype A or C viruses of whom seven infected their children either during gestation or soon after birth. CD4 counts and viral load did not significantly differ between nontransmitting mother (NTM) versus transmitting mother (TM) groups. In contrast to earlier studies we not only analyzed and compared the genotypic characteristics of the V1-V5 region of the gp120 envelope of viruses found in TM and their infected children, but also included data from the NTM. No differences were found with respect to length and number of potential N-glycosylation sites (PNGS) in the V1-V2 and the V1-V5 region. We identified that viruses with a PNGS on positions AA234 and AA339 were preferably transmitted and that viruses with PNGS-N295 showed a disadvantage in transmission. We also showed that the frequency of PNGS-N339 in the viruses of TM and infected children was significantly higher than the frequency in NTM in our cohort and in viruses undergoing sexual transmission while the frequency of PNGS-N295 in children was significantly lower than the frequency in TM and acute horizontal infections. Collectively, our results provide evidence that the presence of the PNGS-N339 site and absence of the PNGS-N295 site in the gp120 envelope confers an advantage to HIV-1 when considering MTCT.

Results of infertility investigations and follow-up among 312 infertile women and their partners in Kigali, Rwanda.

The objectives of this study were to assess the outcome of infertility investigations and an 18-month follow-up of 312 infertile women and their partners in Rwanda. Between November 2007 and May 2009, an infertility research clinic was opened. Infertile couples received basic infertility investigations, the available treatment was provided and couples were followed up over an 18-month period. The infertility remained unexplained in 3%, was due to a female factor in 31%, due to a male factor in 16% or due to a combination of male and female causes in 50% of fully investigated couples (n = 224). A tubal factor was found in 69% of women, a male factor in 64% of men. Predictors for tubal infertility in women included a history of high-risk sexual behaviour, HIV infection and a history of sexually transmitted infection (STI) symptoms in the male partner. After 12-18 months of follow-up, 40 pregnancies (16%) had occurred in 244 women. Our study shows high rates of tubal and male factor infertility in Rwanda. Pregnancy rates were low after conventional therapy. In order to provide effective and affordable treatment for infertility in resource-poor countries the development of low-cost assisted reproductive technologies are needed.

Dual testing algorithm of BED-CEIA and AxSYM Avidity Index assays performs best in identifying recent HIV infection in a sample of Rwandan sex workers.

BACKGROUND: To assess the performance of BED-CEIA (BED) and AxSYM Avidity Index (Ax-AI) assays in estimating HIV incidence among female sex workers (FSW) in Kigali, Rwanda. METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS: Eight hundred FSW of unknown HIV status were HIV tested; HIV-positive women had BED and Ax-AI testing at baseline and ≥12 months later to estimate assay false-recent rates (FRR). STARHS-based HIV incidence was estimated using the McWalter/Welte formula, and adjusted with locally derived FRR and CD4 results. HIV incidence and local assay window periods were estimated from a prospective cohort of FSW. At baseline, 190 HIV-positive women were BED and Ax-AI tested; 23 were classified as recent infection (RI). Assay FRR with 95% confidence intervals were: 3.6% (1.2-8.1) (BED); 10.6% (6.1-17.0) (Ax-AI); and 2.1% (0.4-6.1) (BED/Ax-AI combined). After FRR-adjustment, incidence estimates by BED, Ax-AI, and BED/Ax-AI were: 5.5/100 person-years (95% CI 2.2-8.7); 7.7 (3.2-12.3); and 4.4 (1.4-7.3). After CD4-adjustment, BED, Ax-AI, and BED/Ax-AI incidence estimates were: 5.6 (2.6-8.6); 9.7 (5.0-14.4); and 4.7 (2.0-7.5). HIV incidence rates in the first and second 6 months of the cohort were 4.6 (1.6-7.7) and 2.2 (0.1-4.4). CONCLUSIONS: Adjusted incidence estimates by BED/Ax-AI combined were similar to incidence in the first 6 months of the cohort. Furthermore, false-recent rate on the combined BED/Ax-AI algorithm was low and substantially lower than for either assay alone. Improved assay specificity with time since seroconversion suggests that specificity would be higher in population-based testing where more individuals have long-term infection.